his service was the navy. the way he sought to make that more attractive to women was to start opening up some specialties that had been closed to them. you have to think about what was going on in the 1970's. in a historic context. women were still being discharged for pregnancy, up until 1975. we did not even have uniforms that were correct for the jobs that were being opened up. when i started standing watch in my squadron, i had to walk the flight line in shields and a skirt. it was two miles long and you did it several times during your watch. one day i showed up in enlisted boots and pants to try and walk the flight line, and i got blasted for it pretty good. i was allowed to wear pants with captain of the watch. the flight suits, the clothing was -- it did not fit real well. it was an amazing experience. i have to say, on the whole, the helicopter community was very welcoming. it would not -- it was higher up the chain of command. i was on the west coast at the time. as you got more senior officers invo